When ToneMesa, Inc. was chosen as executive producer for Blue Line, an action-packed heist film written and directed by Jacob Cooney for Switzer Entertainment, the team knew immediately that they’d be sending DPA Microphones along for the job. Using DPA’s d:screet™ 4061 Miniature and d:dicate™ 4017A Shotgun and 4018A Microphones, Production Sound Mixer Peter Ølsted was able to perfectly capture audio for the fast-paced full-feature production, which wrapped after a three week production cycle.
With both interior and exterior sets throughout the snowy location of Cromwell, Connecticut, Ølsted felt it was vital to have high-quality microphones that were quick and simple to use, and could also withstand the rigors of the intense production. “We didn’t have a set scout for this film, so I knew going into the shoot that I’d have to be ready for whatever the director threw at me,” he explains. “A lot of the locations were empty and wide-open warehouses that can often cause a lot of audio problems, but the rear rejection of the DPA mics was a perfect solution for these settings. We were filming in the brutal, cold and windy winter weather of New England and the mics definitely held up. I was amazed that I didn’t have a single issue with wind noise.”
Since Blue Line is a train heist movie, Ølsted needed to mic the interiors of vehicles, often turning to the d:screet 4061s and d:dicate 4018s. “There was one scene where we had to film three cars at one time,” he continues. “I placed the mics in various places around the cars and the sound we got from that was really great. For exterior scenes requiring wider shots, we used the d:dicate 4017. We could be four- or five-feet away from the actors and would still get crystal clear dialogue.”
Though he is a more recent addition to the ToneMesa team (joining in 2013), Ølsted, a Danish native, has been using DPA mics throughout his 20-year career. “DPA is my microphone company of choice,” he says. “I’ve honestly come to the point in my career where I just take the abilities of the DPA mics for granted. There was no question of what I would be using for this production.”
Prior to relocating to the U.S. in 2013, Ølsted worked on the Danish productions of Master Chef, XFactor and Got Talent, in addition to serving as lead mixer for the Danish Grammys® and providing services to a variety of other features and commercials in Denmark. Most recently, he’s worked alongside ToneMesa Owner Daniel S. McCoy, CAS, on reality projects such as Dancing with the Stars, Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Challenge and Rising Star, among other feature and commercial productions.
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